Who are we - Defined Stereotypes?

Posted in response to a blog on CNN IBN : My house hunting

Home -is where we all belong or perhaps not. Perhaps its never the place but the people. And when people around you, make you feel isolated , you are lost and you wonder where you belong.

Stereotypes are what drives our understanding of people. Parsis are suppose to be intellectual albeit funny, Punjabis are suppose to be enterprenuering albeit loud and ostentatious ,Bengalis are suppose to be intellectual albeit eccentric. Kashmiris - we all know it.

If we drive the question inwards we might get some answers within us.For the media is partly responsible for creating the stereotype as well.Pick up the recent papers and you will see KASHMIR and KASHMIRIS written all over.More so the reports of terrorists finding more prominence , then the people bearing the brunt each day. So may be somewhere down the line the word " Kashmir" does ignite fear.They are suffering in their home and elsewhere and yet the apathy.

We want reservations. We also want equality. We want democracy. We also want to vote on caste / religion.We want ourselves to be humanitarian.We also want to be clanish. Ironical isnt it?

India, my motherland, tell me where I belong!
Vande matram

Blog Blocking - Shame on Democracy

Someone is scared out there!

The blasts impact is being heard slowly and steadily. Someone not used to hearing the cries of pain is also being disturbed; woken up from his slumber.What does he do as soon as he wakes up? Well he asks the door and windows to be shut and the voices to be silenced. And the harder he tries to stop it ; the more difficult it gets to supress.



Its a shame that in a democracy there should be a censorship on opinions of people expressing it anyway - through discussions or blogs!But it proves a point. That somewhere somebody fears this expression , this voice that is slowly being raised and the people at large.

Blog blocking - what a shame on one of the biggest democracies of the world.

Krish - The Case Study

Bollywood - the utopian world which makes existence for many of us tolerable is back at it. Movie-making is the art of storytelling or is it? Today its not just story telling its also about marketing the final product ; about making sure that the story fulfils some inherent needs for the viewers or may be even generating such needs.

Product/brand placement has been a part of many a movie in the recent past in bollywood including Taal , Parineeta and Koi Mil Gaya and in some cases the brands seemed more misplaced , then there were the leadership lessons from Bhuvan of Lagaan fame and now its Krish and its marketing strategies that are being developed into case studies by some premiere management institutes(across the world). But I have a few concerns.

* Krish is not targeting the world at large - its routing it through kids. Children , the most susceptible of all audiences were a part of the core followers of Koi Mil Gaya and now Krish ,the sequel. It has been the case with most superhero stories but more so with Krish. Fairy tale and super hero stories are a part of growing up so am all for it.

* My concern is the extent of commercialisation that one can involve with the same. First brand placements and the merchandise , corporate tie ups an promotions. I am all for it but am against it being targeted to kids.

* Kids are in the process of defining reality and its tough for them. There have been many an instances of kids emulating superheroes and ending up injured. This is not the first time these concerns have been raised but there hasn't been much down about this copy cat drama in which kids imitate super heroes.

* My biggest concern is where to draw the line. Movie get marketed and then become a platform for marketing so are we already in the phase of branded entertainment. Its scary thought because you will never know whether there is a commercial message implicit in everything under cover of enetertainment. This is the vicious cycle that movies and marketing are getting into.

* More so is the audience smart enough to overcome their naivete and understand the way marketers are reaching out to them in the non traditional formats.

After all if Krish is being developed into a case study by the most renowned management institute there is something that is working for them - even if its reaching out to families through children. Business may be a child's play sooner than you expect - the only fear that here children will be the objects of the game.

We, The Terrorists

This post was made in response to the story on CNN IBN about the declaration by LeQ taking responsibility for the blasts.


To call off Diplomatic talks with Pakistan took 3 days and we demand India to start a proxy war in Pakistan. Wake up, this is India. Our politicians are thorough professionals - only playing politics with no action, there is an endless wait. Remember, justice on more than decade old blasts, are still pending in the court. Justice delayed, justice denied.

Who cares if 200 people die, who cares if the country’s security has not only been breached but attacked, and all we care for is "Spirit of Mumbai". At least that’s what the wartime like propaganda reflects across media. INDIA ATTACKED on 7/11 like US ATTACKED on 9/11 years ago but our "Proxy" Prime Minister hasn’t got much to say to its people. Forget about the action, they even lack the words.

People of Pakistan and India are the recipients of the brunt of this political game that started way back in 1947 post independence. Will it ever end? How many more lives will it claim and after all, is all this worth it? These are question that need to be answered.

Terrorists turn media savvy. Inspired from Bollywood flick they lay claim to their misdeeds through e-mail to TV channel.We , the terrorist - they say it out loud. They are "breaking news" and channels broadcasting it. This is not some "Casting couch story" to create sensationalism. It is a national security issue. Hope media understands the difference and treats it as required. As citizens, has the propaganda so besieged our mental faculties that we can’t see this difference?

Tomorrow morning every paper will talk of militant organization that has claimed to commit hideous act of violence but will conveniently forget about challenge that lays forth our authorities and the common citizens. They have conveyed their message. The reasons for blasts – Kashmir and Gujarat – are both sensitive issues that have been prolonging forever; Issues that are now becoming a threat to each one of us. Let’s not shrug shoulders. If no one cares for our security, we are also part of our misfortune as we have elected this government. - the government which is blind to rising smoke, deaf to ever exploding bombs and dumb about injustice being inflicted upon its people. Remember among the 200 dead could be one of us tomorrow, if things don’t change soon.
Vande Matram.

Uncle Sam and Mother India

Day after day , the impact of the blasts is receding.It already has. The media is just waiting for the next "Big Story" and as the steam runs out of the 7/11 Mumbai blasts it will move from the Front page and Headlines to the middle of the paper.Some other story will take its place. The story is still "hot" and hence still there on the front pages.Eventually for the reporting community its just another story like there was one almost 14 years ago (1993 Blasts) where the litigation process is still on.But thats not what I want to talk about.I want to talk about Uncle Sam and Mother India.



9/11/2001: NYC, USA: US attacked at twin towers. The miscreants identified.George Bush declares "WAR AGAINST TERRORISM".Propoganda across media about the need to handle terrorism. Some support it, others are against but whatever it is across media most of it is glorified. Even if there is dissent in some parts of the world against it there isnt much Uncle Sam cares for. After all the world media is alos dominated by the US. Uncle Sam is shrewd and kills many.What he does may not be right , may involve killing innocent people and may even be criticised by the UN but who cares. After all Uncle Sam is Uncle Sam!

7/11/2006: Mumbai, India : India attacked? Did you hear that? I didnt see anything like that anywhere. All I saw was Mumbai Blasts everywhere. Thats the difference. Mother India doesnt seem to care much for her own children or may be the politicians have sold her to a brothel and now for her to care much for bastards seems unlikely. So it takes a few days for out Prime Minister to make a statement. None of the Ministers, the so called guardians of the biggest democracy in the world come to rescue its people on a public platform. What are they waiting for? No wonder the guilty take years and years to be punished when a strong statement from Prime-Minister takes 3 days to come.Finally a statement has come from the Prime-Minister about the peace process with Pakistan being put on hold.This is not the first time around. I have been repeatedly saying it because there have been many an instance in past on similar lines.History it seems is not the politicians favorite area to learn from. So Mother India tattered and sold is being abused time and again. May be she goes through throes of pain evertime she is attacked. But the screeching loud screams of pain are not heard in this media saturated world.

So where do we go from here? Uncle Sam and Mother India,it seems have not much in common. Even the enemy takes different forms. So US ally in fighting the war against terrorism may be the offender in case of our own country. Diplomacy works but it only works for the mighty who can armtwist the entire world and make it agree to its own opinion and subdue the voices of all others.

Somwhere down the line , in the past 59 years of our countrys' existence we have turned blind ,deaf and dumb so nothing affects us anymore!

Romanticizing Tragedy

Mumbai was struck by serial blasts. There was panic all around. Mobile lines were jammed. People were looking for their relatives and friends. It was as crazy as it could possibly get. I could feel the chill down my spine more than 1000 kms away, in Delhi. While politicians were involved in mud slinging like all other occasions, people did rescue each other. People supporting other people – that’s how Mumbai has always been. There may be many reasons for it and the most likely reason is the apathy from authorities. At all occasions authorities have failed to take necessary action so it makes people almost rush to the rescue of each other. Who do they have except each other? People in Mumbai are resilient and their resilience is a matter of pride, but how far can we stretch it, is the question!

Media also did its bit in helping people in all possible ways but it also did its bit of romanticizing tragedy. Like the propaganda media used during war times there have been cries of ,“ The Spirit of Mumbai” , “ Salaam Mumbai” and “ The city fighting back”. What are we trying to do here and whom are we trying to fool? The politicians who roar about “Amchi Mumbai” have not much to say about this desecration at the face of nation and it is meeting a mute response from one and all, instead we are rejoicing about the spirit. Yes the opposition does condemn the ruling party like it always has been doing but that is all. Simply because among the 200 or more killed there wasn’t a politician or a celebrity or a known face. Who cares about the faceless but what if there was?

The spirit of Mumbai is nothing but a fight to survive. Ask the people who have lost friends and relatives, who are impaired for life and for whom the day has spelt the doom. Ask them what does the spirit of Mumbai means and I guess they will be able to give you a fitting reply.

Why Mumbai is back on track is because they are millions who struggle here each day for their next meal.

Why people are back in trains is because there isn’t any other way of commuting for these millions.

Why Mumbai doesn’t stop is because it has become almost mechanical in its operation and the momentum of action is so high that this inertia of motion is hard to stop. So it goes on and on.

Why am I saying all this is because we need to look beneath the surface. Somewhere underneath all this, the system is rotten and we are being made to believe all is fine. I guess we need to do more than just rescue operations. Stop propaganda and get to action. There is a sense of anger amongst many people and I am just one of them. If the government and judiciary is failing repeatedly to fulfill its function, I think we need to delve deeper than just tactically rescuing the injured and the dead. I guess we need to get real. I guess more so, media, being the opinion maker that it is also needs to report more real and stop romanticizing tragedy, for we have had enough of it.

Where is the Love?

"I feel the weight of the world on my shoulder
As I'm getting older y'all people get colder
Most of us only care about money makin
Selfishness got us followin the wrong direction
Wrong information always shown by the media
Negative images is the main criteria
Infecting their young minds faster than bacteria
Kids wanna act like what the see in the cinema"

- Where is the love? Black eyed Peas

Words from one of my favorite songs that I was working on constantly over the past few days. Words that became real as blasts hit Mumbai. Where is the Love?Its sad but its true that such things should happen. Its even sadder the way they get reported. May be we were better without media , then with it ,on such days. How strange that when such things happen the remote control seems like funny device with a sure route to escapism.



We have the gory pictures and then the politicians making the most of the event. So Mr Advani takes a higher ground stating that the opposition had forewarned the ruling party. The ruling party representative but not the Country's Primeminister conveys the trite statements , so full of drama and so lacking in effect that it seems a futile exercise.

Who are they addressing anyway? People suffering ,are not in a position to view their televised messages. May be its for the TV audiences .After all they are the votebank as well and what better opportunity then now to make an impression , build an image (In marketing terms its branded events/entertainment , forgive my usage of words but that's what it is)

Also to top it all there are citizen journalists. Ordinary people - taking pictures , reporting the event. How indifferent for one human to picture another in pain , bleeding , either dead or dying. For such indifference is why I ask again and again, "Where is the Love ?"

Digital Divide

My 5 year old niece has learnt to drag and click the mouse but my 55+ years old Mom is still scared to touch the mouse. That's the digital divide we face today. Two generations living in the same era and yet so different. Will they ever be able to bridge the digital gap, I wonder. One generation born with access to mobiles in one hand and mouse in another and another generation the believer that pen is mightier then sword, still putting pen to paper each day.

What is my niece hooked on to? Well its the Disney playhouse.Its a part of the curriculum from the pre-school she goes to. Sure she gets to learn but not the traditional way. Her teachers are not in school but on the computer screen and TV. Its Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck and yes the next time she goes to any store and sees them around , wont blame her if she insists that she wants those toys. Its an easy trap , even easier marketing gimmick and yet not many of us realize how we fall into this trap.



My Mum on the other end fears computers and technology to no end. For what reason is hard to explain. May be its the novelty or the fear of the unknown. So its likely that the gap that this digital divide is leading to will keep on increasing till something is done to bridge the same. Such efforts seem far fetched.

Digital divide , dividing in the most miniscule way. Its not just hide and seek between the two generations today. Its one generation entering into a world that's pretty much inaccessible to the other!

Mother Tongue : SMS

Every morning as i go for my walk i see some random person wearing the tee shirt with the message - Mother Tongue : SMS. Its just got me thinking. What if your mother tongue is SMS. The Day begings with GM and Ends with TC GN.You want everything ASAP and if you are busy you SMS saying TTYL.Also vwls dnt hld much value.Well if you can interpret all this in one go am sure you are also a part of the gennxt.If you cant then LOL.

But it worries me to some extent.Like the old timers i worry about culture being eroded and language loosing its beauty and sanctity. Most of it is already gone and whatever else is left, may erode soon.So we will have the next generation which will talk in abbreviations. Names are already being shortened.So Vipul is often turned into Vips and there are many other beautiful names with meaning which lose both beauty and meaning as they get adapted to the SMS world.

I guess the dictionary of SMS language has already hit the western markets a few years ago and may be, is already in here as well.The pure Urdu , Hindi and English in its traditional forms is limited only to literature classrooms and students.If you start speaking the classical way people wonder something is not right or may be that you are dated.

SMS also has a commercial implication.It involves money making for the cellular operators.So the freedom of expression doesnt really come free for the SMS gen. Jokes and messages can be downloaded and shared with friends. I wonder how it works. Its so impersonal.Its not like you are sharing a moment with friends.You are sharing SMS. The friends reaction is ? Does the generation really care about it?

Technology is good.Its great.It has created blogs (Thank God for it). But its technical.Its impersonal.Its meant to be that way.It lacks that personal touch and feel. I wonder if the generation who talks through sms ,born with a mobile handset in their hand, would ever know what it means. I hope they do.

Mobile Moments

(Before i start the entry let me state that i have nothing against technology but the way it has permeated our lives and is encompassing almost every moment of our existence is funny. While i had been thinking of putting these thoughts together i wasnt sure of the title - i got it from The Idea cellular planner for the year which captures the same - Mobile moments - pardon the plagiarism. But am glad to say its only the title that is borrowed.)

In one of my previous entries i had written about the txt / sms and its impact on language. Heres another facet of technology - Mobile phones. Mobile phones are everywhere. I see it all around. Its an escape mechanism . Its a comfort provider. Its an instant way to reach out. Reach out to distant people, forget the ones around you,thats the telecom mantra.Its an easy way to avoid peoople around. Fiddling with mobiles is a big thing. "Who the hell is everybody talking to? "Among the very many places that i find mobile phones and their usage funny am listing down a few:

* Airports : If you havent noticed it yet, notice it next time when you are in the airport lounge. Everyone is talking to someone. Some complaining and cribbing about delayed flights ; some discussing their travel adventures and excursions but most of them just trying to reach out to their comfort zone. May be at a deeper level mobile technology is constraining the social skills of people; of reaching out to strangers.Thats before boarding the flights.

Even after being seated in the flight some people go ahead informing friends and relatives that they are "in the flight" . The government regulations do not permit usage of phones in flight, but who cares. Then the instruction to switch off mobiles. How difficult to be out of touch !Imagining the world did exist without mobiles a few years back seems a little unbelievable when people want to keep in touch even in the skies.

The flight lands. The first thing people do is switch on mobiles.Like they were expecting a call from God or something. The response is so instinctive and instantaneous that if you dont do it you feel you might miss out on all the people calling you. What syndrome is that? Like am the most important person and this world awaits me.Its not about the world missing you , its about you missing the world. Call, call ,call again. The new generation of mobile phone users have a message embedded in their DNA. It says, " The world is calling".

* Jogging tracks : Airports are still ok.You are bored , you are with a bunch of strangers and you want to feel at home so you call at home or wherever else , whoever else makes you feel at home. But the jogging track.Thats not transit time.Thats time taken out to be dedicated to the body.To be dedicated to yourself , by yourself and for yourself. Or is it? People walking / jogging on the track talking to others- about what i wonder. Like how many steps have i taken or proving a point that multitasking is a skill and how multifaceted one can be. I dont know for sure.But i know one thing that the world can do with your temporary absence for an hour or so.

* In Transit: Many a people also have their ear plugs on while running , walking and travelling. Another way of increasing media consumption.Not really.Another way of escaping reality is more like it. Escape the blaring horns, the roaring engines , the screaming vendor tring to sell. Put your ear plugs on.Transform your world to the AC studio of the RJs. Just listen to them. Even better get some pointers about whats happening around you so you get a point of discussion. I guess the real world has become too difficult to handle, to loud to pay attention to , to stark without glares on.Welcome to the intransit media world. I dont know if its really real. I dont know if its unreal. I know it exists. I know it helps you escape the real.

*Loo: This is the worst place to get your mobile ringing and trust me it does. Anyone who has experienced it would know.I do want my privacy and dont want to "stay connected" always. Please let the world pee in peace.

Reservations and SMS

I get few SMSes.Most of them relate to some promotions which I just see and erase. I am not completely averse to it and neither am for it.Its just one of those things that you become indifferent to. So, "DOWNLOAD" this and "WATCH FOR" or "SHOP FOR" that - doesnt gain my attention anymore.But today I got a different SMS.It did catch my attention and it stated:

"Send "NO" to 6388 to vote against RESERVATION SC/ST on NDTV.Pls fwd to all concerned. At least we can do this much for our rights"

It wasnt an issue that had concerned me yet despite so much hullabaloo happening about it.I am one of those INDIFFERENT INTELLECTUAL INDIAN CYNICS (I3C) Who talk big and talk anything without knowing the nuances of what they are talking about and when it comes to action there isnt much they think they can do. "Making a difference through their words" is their motto when they know anyway it doesnt really work.

Suddenly there was an issue on my mobile. There was something I was being told I can do about the issue. It was looking at me stark in my face.It wasnt a tough choice.

It was almost predecided what am supposed to do.SMS was worded very precisely and clearly.I had to just follow the command.It was decided for me that I was to Say "NO" to 6388 to vote against reservations.I did it. But after doing it I read it time and again and realised how it played on my thoughts and mind. It was a neat trick. It told me what to do , also gave me a reason to do it and offered me an option to view the results as well. I had done something for an issue. Was it changing me, transforming me within , I wondered.But I realised,I am still a part of the I3Cs. I still dont care.

As part of the I3Cs let me try and explain what the Reservations and SMS issue means to me.
- I still dont care much about reservations
- I was tricked into saying "NO" to reservations and though it doesnt matter much am just bothered about Rs 2 or 3 that i will be charged for it.
- I dont think my SMS will nmake a difference to the issue
- I think the only party to benefit in the process is NDTV and their mobile partner 6388.

Qoutas, Reservations , Preferential Rights..........SMSes - for what and for whom? But I guess it works better than going on a hunger strike or sitting for a Dharna. With the tech boom there is hope for I3Cs.They may finally act , even if it involves some vested interests.

Virtual Relationships

Virtual Relationships

Something got me thinking. This world is becoming increasingly virtual. So we are logging on to networking sites , dating sites and blogs.Self expression , networking , making friends - many an important areas of human experiences are gaining a new dimension and we dont even question it.For finding information we are googling , for making friends we are chatting and for expressing ourselves to the world we are blogging.

But since we are still in transition there are some old timers who consider the virtual world a sham. I am no one to comment on the virtues or vice of virtual world. Too many V's in there.But thats still different from "WE".I guess its true.I guess internet is a lonely place.Its a good way to reach and connect but it cannot replace the charm of being together. Being on the net for hours, watching webcams is not the same as holding hands even if its for a minute.

The problem I guess exists because we see real and virtual relationships in coflict. Its percieved as an "either or" equation.I guess thats where the problem is. Virtual and Real is not to replace but to complement each other.There is no conflict just change. And we all resist change!

A Mediated World

I am listening to a song by GOO GOO DOLLS.Its called IRIS. There is one line in the song that always strikes me hard. It says, "When everything seems like the movies, Yeah you bleed just to know you're alive." We all are living in a mediated world where it is hard to distinguish the real from unreal. So its a hard choice to decide whether what we are seeing around is more real then what lies behind it or whether its the other way around.

Time and again it has completely taken me by surprise how we are trying to live our lives upto an image. The images that the media projects on us ,everywhere , all the time.
Success , Happiness , Love - just a phone call away. Those glossy pictures and amazing videos - all showing an image, thats hard to resist. So we constantly try and live upto it and then its the chicken and egg story - all over again.

So for sometime I have been making some observations about the things and people around me and how media is influencing it all. Its an utopian view of the world- Its a mediated world we are living in. No wonder a mediated world was all I could think of when i started typing for the blog.Through this blog I will express my concerns about media and behavior in our day to day life. For a mediated world also need a way to express oneself through some medium.